Ireland defied all our expectations and only came fourth, even behind Israel.

This was the most bizarre group outcome I've ever seen. Not Ireland coming fourth, but the fact that of the 12 games involving the top 4 sides, 11 finished as draws. The odds on that are several million to one. Throw in the fact that all four teams won all four of their games against the weaker sides, and in essence the group came down to the result of one game: Ireland v. France. France won 1-0, thereby winning the group and consigning Ireland to fourth. Had it gone the other way, we'd have topped the group, with France fourth.

It's probably a blessing Ireland didn't advance. In terms of playing personnel, this is the weakest Irish team in living memory. For as long as I've been following football, Ireland have always had at least 4 or 5 players who could get into almost any national side in Europe, or at least the squad. Now there's just two (Given and Duff). The rest of the team is composed of players who would have struggled to make the squad back in the late 80s or early 90s, and players who wouldn't have been even close.

The Swiss are technically good, and they have an unbeaten run that now stretches into the teens, but I'll be surprised if they get through the playoffs.

The news for Ireland is all pretty grim. We'll probably be demoted to being fourth seeds for the next qualifiers, making advancement even more difficult.

Slan libh,

Dara

"Ireland is a great country to go to if you think you're drinking too much. Because it turns out you're not even close"